Your Voice Counts – Voting Rights from the Age of 12
Children and young people should not only be allowed to say what they think – they also need the opportunity to genuinely influence the association’s decisions. One concrete way is voting rights at the association’s annual general meeting. In RF’s model bylaws, members have voting rights from the year they turn 12, provided the other conditions for voting rights are met.
But voting rights are difficult to use if you don’t understand how an annual general meeting works, or what different words mean. The association needs to make the language, the information and the democratic processes understandable and accessible for children, young people and others who are not used to association life.
This is what IFK Umeå has done
- Developed easy-to-read association documents that explain, among other things, the bylaws, the annual general meeting and members’ rights.
- Developed a glossary that explains common words and concepts within association democracy.
- Had a meeting chair at the annual general meeting tasked with continuously explaining what is happening, how the meeting works and difficult words that are used – so that more people can understand and take part.
Read our easy-to-read association documents >>
See our glossary >>
